Miley Cyrus Says She Isn't Drinking or Doing Drugs Anymore

It's difficult to forget Miley Cyrus' Dead Petz era, which truthfully began with her tongue-wagging 2013 VMAs performance and reached critical mass with the release of her last psychedelic LP. It was a period characterized by exuberant Instagram posts, perplexing music videos, and—of course—lots and lots of weed. Cyrus and cannabis became practically synonymous with each other; as a result, mainstream media branded the pop singer as a "train wreck" former Disney queen who was off the rails (Hollywood sexism at work, my friends). But this wasn't the case at all: Instead, Cyrus was creating a persona all about freeing inhibitions and being yourself. This, inadvertently, made her a queer icon and an advocate for the disenfranchised. (She launched the Happy Hippie Foundation, geared toward aiding homeless LGBTQ+ youth, during this time.)

And she still plans on staying true to herself—just without drinking or smoking (for now, at least). In a new interview with Billboard magazine, Cyrus reveals that she's currently quit all alcohol and, yes, marijuana.

"I haven’t smoked weed in three weeks, which is the longest I’ve ever [gone without it]," Cyrus said. "I’m not doing drugs, I’m not drinking, I’m completely clean right now! That was just something that I wanted to do."

Cyrus says making the change was "easy." "When I want something, it’s f--king easy for me," she said. "But if anyone told me not to smoke, I would have not done it. It’s because it was on my time. I know exactly where I am right now."

Though she made this decision to quit "for a second" for herself, she was motivated in part by the people around her. “I like to surround myself with people that make me want to get better, more evolved, open," she said. "And I was noticing, it’s not the people that are stoned. I want to be super clear and sharp because I know exactly where I want to be.”

Where she wants to be, it turns out, is creating new music. Billboard reports that Cyrus will drop a new single, "Malibu" (about her fiancé, Liam Hemsworth, whom Cyrus says she had to "refall" for), on May 11. An album (which Cyrus describes as "political") will follow shortly after. According to the magazine, "Malibu," a singer-songwriter-y, pop-rock ballad, is “unlike anything she has recorded before.” She can't be tamed, people!

Cyrus' abandoning drugs and alcohol doesn't mean she's abandoning the radical self-advocacy of her Dead Petz era. If anything, it confirms her DGAF attitude rages on. If Miley Cyrus taught us anything during those years, it's to live life fully and unapologetically, on your own terms.